This invention relates to cooling assemblies for metallurgical converter vessels.
Pneumatic type metallurgical converters commonly include a generally pear-shaped vessel which is open at its upper end. Means are commonly provided for delivering oxygen to a molten charge contained within the vessel. The oxygen delivery system may include, for example, a lance which extends through the open mouth of the vessel or tuyeres which extend through the vessels bottom or sides. It is a common practice to cool the upper portion of such metallurgical vessels to minimize thermal deformation which would otherwise result from the high temperatures to which this portion of the vessel is exposed. Such cooling arrangements commonly take the form of pipes or hollow panels affixed to or adjacent the vessel surface. In addition, hollow means for receiving cooling fluid are often disposed in surrounding relation to the vessel mouth.
Water cooling of the areas of excessive elevated temperatures is desirable to stabilize external thermal distortion of the plates which define the outer metallic shell. Such distortion results from overheating of a particular area in relation to adjacent areas while the entire shell is subjected to mechanical stress from the molten metal within the furnace, the support loads and the external pressure due to thermal expansion of the lining refractory. Overheating can be caused by conductive heat transfer from the inside of the vessel and through the refractory, particularly when the refractory has been worn thin, intense radiant heat such as that experienced around the vessel tap nozzle, as well as external spills and slag spitting.
Where the cooling assembly is composed of pipe members, these generally include half pipes or angle members whose edges are affixed to the vessel surface. This provides an uneven surface which renders the removal of slag and metal relatively more difficult.